This invention relates generally to television receivers and in particular to television receivers used with VCRs and/or DVD/video disc players that are operated in the service areas of non standard television channels. As is well known, there are four distinct television channel allocation arrangements, known as "Broadcast", "ICC", "HRC" and "CATV". These channel allocation arrangements are referred to in the art as "band plans". In the HRC band plan, the frequency allocation of VCR channels 3 and 4, hereinafter referred to as channel 3/4, is offset by about one MegaHertz from the frequency allocation of Broadcast channel 3/4.
With some television receiver installations, it may not be possible to switch between a cable channel 3/4 and a VCR without retuning the television receiver because the VCR operates at broadcast channel 3/4 frequency and the cable system has an HRC tuning band allocation. While the television receiver may be retuned from the offset channel 3/4 of the cable system by tuning off of the channel and back to it, which activates the AFC, this is not acceptable to a viewer. Indeed, in some instances, with a VCR playing a "copy protected" tape, it may even be necessary to repeat the retuning procedure a number of times while the VCR or DVD is playing. The present invention solves the problem by assigning a special channel indicia or designation to the VCR channel in the system tuning software.